New York street art shines a light on human trafficking

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Street Art for Mankind (SAM) uses art to campaign against human trafficking. Its latest project includes a series of murals in New York City that represent the experiences of victims of modern slavery. The images are meant as an "allegory of the issue," not a direct representation of the individual victims.This image tells the story of Henriette, who migrated from Togo to France at the age of 14. She told SAM that her parents had sent her there to work for a woman in return for education. However, she says she did not go to school, and instead spent almost five years working in the house, sleeping on the floor and eating leftovers. French artist, Jo Di Bona created the mural, located on Cliff Street.

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This mural represents the story of Ibrahim, who says he spent his childhood working as a cocoa picker in Ivory Coast. According to the Global Slavery Index, an estimated 891,000 children aged between 10 and 17 years old worked in cocoa production in Ivory Coast between October 2016 and November 2017. The mural was painted by French street artist Loic Ercolessi and can be found at 9 Maiden Lane.

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This mural represents the story of Ariel, who says he began working as a seafood diver in Honduras aged just seven. The International Labour Organization (ILO) says child labor is widespread in the global fishing industry, and that it's one of the most hazardous occupations. Ariel's account was provided to SAM by the charity World Vision. The mural was painted by Btoy, a Spanish artist, and is located at 243 Water Street.

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This mural represents the problem of child labor in the fashion industry in Bangladesh. It tells the story of Bithi, who says she was sent to work in a factory at the age of 12, helping to make designer jeans. According to World Vision, who provided her account to SAM, she helped to make 480 pairs of jeans a day, for which she was paid just over $1. The mural on 28 Cliff Street was painted by Mexican street artist KinMx.